Hello. My period dates keep changing. Is it normal? There's no other problems I'm feeling but the changing period dates make it harder to make plans.
By "dates" - do you mean the number of days in your cycle, or do you mean that you are expecting your period to fall on the same day of the month each month?
If you mean the first (actual # of days in your cycle keeps changing), it depends on how long its been since you got your first period, and how much the change is month-to-month.
If it's been within 2 years of your first period and your periods have never been regular, normal.
If your cycles are always between 21 and 35 days long, probably normal.
If your actual menses is 7 days or less, normal.
If any of these things is not true, it's good to get checked out to rule out any potentially underlying issues!
If you mean the second (period starts on a different "date" in the calendar month-to-month), then the issue may just be that you're tracking your period incorrectly!
Either way, this is a great jumping off point for a post I've been meaning to do!
TRACKING YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE
Why should I track my menstrual cycle?
Helps to predict your next menses, so you can plan ahead.
Can be used to identify fertile days to either avoid or promote conception, or identify a pregnancy very early
Tracking your "normal" can help identify changes that may be indicative of an underlying problem
Can identify if you experience PMS/PMDD, and see it coming.
Generally promotes awareness of your own body and health
The goal is to figure out what's normal FOR YOU! Once your periods have settled into a regular pattern (usually within 2 years after menarche), they should remain relatively consistent.
How do I track my menstrual cycle?
At least to start, I recommend doing this on paper or on a digital file you keep on your local device. It helps with developing the skill and your understanding of your cycle, and protects your privacy. (As another Tumblrina mentioned, not all period apps protect privacy, which may matter in states with draconian anti-choice laws).
You can do it right in your school planner, on a wall calendar, or on a printed piece of paper like this. You can even do it in a google calendar. The format doesn't really matter!
Mark the 1st day of your period. This is the 1st day of your whole cycle. When a provider asks you when your "last menstrual period" (or LMP) was, this is the date they are asking about.
Indicate each day that you bleed. Periods are usually between 3-7 days. If you have spotting/light bleeding in between periods, note this too. When your provider asks how long your periods are, this is the number they want.
Note the heaviness of your flow. Periods usually start out relatively heavy, and lighten over the course of a few days. "Heavy" is often defined as soaking through 1 or more super pads/tampons every hour for several hours, needing to double-up on protection, or needing to change protection overnight. You can identify this by using different colors, or a code like H/M/L, a series of dots, or whatever makes sense to you.
Count your cycle length. When your next period starts, that's your new day 1. Count up the number of days from your last cycle's day 1 to the last day before this new cycle. The total number of days is your cycle length! It should be between 21 and 35 days, and the average is 28 days. Record this number. When your provider asks how long your menstrual cycle is, this is the number they want!
Start again! Over a few cycles, you will be able to see what your average cycle length is, how long your average flow is, whether there are fluctuations in these (and by how much), how much it changes, and how heavy your overall bleeding is.
Calculate your next cycle based on your average. If your average cycle is 28 days, or 4 weeks, and your last period started on September 1, your next cycle would be expected to start on September 29 - NOT October 1! If it's the first cycle you're tracking, you can make a guess of 28 days/4 weeks.
INTERMEDIATE CYCLE TRACKING
And that's not all! You can keep track of other things, like:
Pain (cramps with your period or otherwise - some people experience a pain mid-cycle that's actually ovulatory pain, called mittelschmertz)
Psychological symptoms (these are most likely to come in the back half of your cycle, after ovulation - the luteal phase)
Mood swings/lability of affect
More intensity of emotions, especially irritability, sadness, anger
If you notice patterns in these, that is good information.
If you want to get very advanced, it's possible to add tracking other physical signs (like your temperature and your cervical fluid) to put together a picture that tells you when you ovulate. This is called is obviously helpful if you're trying to either conceive or avoid conceiving. But it's also helpful if your cycles are always a bit irregular, because that's usually due to the ovulation date changing. If you suspect you may have PCOS, this is very useful information. (Remember, the "cysts" in PCOS are from eggs that fail to ovulate, which is what causes irregular periods).
If people are interested in learning how to do this kind of cycle tracking ("fertility awareness" or "symptothermal method") shoot me an ask and I'll do separate post on it!
